6 Months of Beachbody

The last 6 months has truly changed my life. If you would have told me 6 months ago if I'd be where I am today, I wouldn't have believed you. I took it one day, one pound, one meal, one goal at a time. I could not have done it without the support of my coach, Sommer, and Team Beachbody and Team Courage.

But more importantly, I could not have done it if I didn't believe in myself. I told myself every day that I deserved it. I deserved to be happy with my body and I deserved to be healthier. I needed to put myself first for a while because I'd be a happier person, a happier mom, a happier wife.

I knew that what I saw in the mirror was not who I was. Looking at these before pictures when I first started back in late April was hard. I couldn't face who I'd become. That wasn't me. That wasn't what I saw when I looked in the mirror.

Now when I look at them, I can't even remember that person in the picture. I honestly did start to tear up making this collage. In my mind, that wasn't me. I know pictures don't lie though. I'm glad I took those pictures because it really does show how far I've come and it's something I can always look back to when I need motivation. Without them, I might have not seen the progress I had been making and now I wouldn't have been able to see what I had accomplished.

I hope my success will inspire others to get started on living a healthier life. You can't imagine how much happier you'll be when the outside finally matches the inside. :)

ChaLEAN Extreme Results & Review

	Day 1	Day 30	Day 60	Day 90
Weight	152	146	142.2	136.6
Chest	37	37	36.5	35.5
Waist (at belly button)	36	34.75	34.5	32.5
Hips (at widest part)	40	39	38.25	37
R Upper Thigh/Abductor	24	23.5	22	21
L Upper Thigh/Abductor	23.5	23.5	22	21
R Arm (7in from shoulder)	11	11	10.5	10
L Arm (7in from shoulder)	11	11	10.75	10

My Results

15.4 lbs and 15.5 inches lost total! 7.5 of those inches came from the last 30 days, which is dubbed the lean phase and for good reason!

My Review

As a whole, I loved this workout. It is mainly a strength training workout where you lift heavy and slow and for not many reps. The workouts average at about 45 minutes and if you are doing it correctly, you are always sore the next day - which I loved! The biggest thing I learned -- for women, lifting heavy does not mean you get big -- it means you get lean! 

Chalene was very motivating and the workouts did not get old or repetitive. The 3 phases which you rotate into every 30 days (Burn, Push, and Lean) all had 3 workouts which were all different. You did each of the workouts once a week and then added in the interval, cardio and abs workout. I did replace some of the cardio days with running for the same amount of time and I like that helped me not get tired of that specific workout.

Who would I recommend this program to?

Anyone who wants to get LEAN! The program is designed for any fitness level. All you have to change is the weight you are lifting and as you get stronger, you up the weights. I would also recommend it to someone who doesn't want to feel like they are doing a lot of cardio. You will get a cardio workout and the moves in the workouts have a cardio effect, but you won't be running around out of breath.

Who would I not recommend this program to?

I would advise those with lower back injuries to take it slow with CE. There are a lot of dead lifts and squats in the program and if you don't do them correctly (using your hamstrings instead of your back), you will hurt yourself. Form is so important in this program so if you don't think you have the hamstring strength, I'd build those muscles up with a program like Slim in 6 first. SI6 really helped me out with that (since I have a bad lower back from a skiing injury) and I would have hurt myself if I went straight into CE as my first program.

What's Next?

I announced a few weeks back that I would be starting TurboFire which is also a Chalene Johnson program. It is a cardio based program that is based on HIIT and contains a lot of kickboxing moves. I'm excited to change up the type of workout I'm doing and also pumped to get another 90 days with Chalene.

I'm also super excited to announce a new challenge that will start on Monday 11/12 - The Pre-New Years Challenge! Its a group of people supporting/motivation/inspiring each other through the holiday season cause we don't want to wait till 2013 to make a resolution! We are doing it NOW! There will be prizes and you don't need to spend a dime to join in! Comment or message me if you want more details!

The Big Closet Purge of 2012

A few days ago, I got back to Virginia after spending about 3 weeks in Texas. I was met with a big temperature change that preempted me to look for my Winter clothes and push the Summer clothes to the back of the closet. However, as I was doing this I realized that my old Winter clothes, along with a lot of my Summer clothes are too big now and I decided to clean out my closet from all the clothes that don't fit anymore.

I'm calling it the big closet purge of 2012 :)

I went through everything! Old jeans, work clothes, formal wear, sweaters, coats, t-shirts, shoes, bras....EVERYTHING!

I had a pile for trash - aka, things that I'd be embarrassed to give away, stretched out shirts or hole-ridden jeans. I had a pile of giveaway/garage sale, a pile for maternity and post-maternity wear, and lastly the keep pile.

I packed away the maternity/post-maternity. Organized the keep items in drawers or hangers and moved all the giveaway into a separate room so that I could see what I had. The trash, well, went into the trash!

Now -- all of this made me realize -- I don't have much Winter clothes that fit!! I guess it's time to go shopping :)